Automatic tidal air-compressor.



VPA'TENTED MAY 21, 1907.v

' w. 0.-WEBBER.* AUTOMATIC TIDAL AIR COMPRESSOR.

APPLIOATION'FILED SEPT. 1 1906.

l V/ TA tssgs appertainin UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM 0. WEBBER, or BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

AUTOMATIC TlDAl. AlR-COMPRESSOR- No. s54,ooe.

Patented May 21, 1907.

Application filed September 17,1906. Serial No. 834,992.

To all whom it may concern: I Be it known that I, WILLIAM OLIVER WEBBER, of the city of Boston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Tidal Air-Compressors; and I'dO declare that the following is a clear, full, and exact description of the same.

This invention relates to a tide actuated hydraulic air compressor, and has for its purpose the construction and operation 0. an automatically stopping and starting hydraulic air compressin apparatus, actuated by the rise and fall of t e tide.

Figure 1 is a plan yiew of the inlet and out-- let passageways, with r the necessary gates thereto. Fig. 2 is a vertical section on t e line 22 ofFig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical elevation on the lines 3-3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section on line 44 of Fig. 3, reference being had to the accompanying drawin s formin part of these specifications, in w ich simi ar characters represent corresponding views in all the parts.

1 is the inlet passageway; 2 is the outlet passageway. l

3 is the longer leg, and 4 the shorter leg, of an inverted siphon connecting the inletand outlet passageways. The grade of the bottom of the outlet passageway 2 is below that of the inlet passageway 1.

4 is preferably made of a larger area than 3.

5 and 5 are inwardly opening gates situated in the inlet passageway, and 6 and 7 are outwardly opening gates situated in the outlet passageway.

8 is an enlargeds'eparating chamber, situated at the [bottom of the inverted siphon, and 9 is an abutment wall transversely situated in said chamber. i

10 are pontoons situated in the inlet passageway 1, carrying fulcrums 11, on which are pivoted weighted levers 12. One end of these levers is pivoted to beams 13, which support transversely disposed beams 14, which, in turn, support downwardly depend ing air pipes 15. These air pipes are adjustably located by the collars 16.

Upon the side of the inlet passageway 1 are located stop blocks 17.

Rising from the upper part of the separating chamber 8 is a service pipe 18, provided with astop valve 19.

The operation'of this invention is as follow's:These two passageways are transvcrsely disposed through a dam which spans the neck of a tidal basin. If, now, we assume that the water impounded'in a tidal basin enters the inletpassageway 1, from the left, as shown by the arrows, it will automat ically swing open the inlet gate 5, pass down the long leg of the siphon 3, and, in passing in and around the vertically depending air pipes 15, entrain air with the water. descending column of air and water then impinge upon the transversely disposed abutment wall 9, at the bottom of the siphon,-

which causes the air to be rapidly freed from the water. This air then is caught and heldby. the pocket, or 'air chamber, 8, while the water passes around the ends of the abutment wall 9, and thus into theshorter and larger leg of the siphon 4, then flows upward into the outlet passageway 2, forcing open the gate 7, and passing into the ocean, the gate 5 in the inlet passageway, and the gate 6 in the outlet passageway, bein held tight by the pressure of water against t em.

The

Upon the reversal of the tide, so that it flows from. the right into the inlet passageway 1, the gate 5" is automatically forced open, the gate 5 shut, the waterand entrained air flow down the longer leg of the siphon, as before, up the shorter leg, and, shutting the gate 7, force open the gate 6, thereby emptying into the tidal basin-again, as before. As the water falls in either the tidal basin or the ocean, the water will correspondingly fall in the inlet assageway 1, and the air inlet pi es will descend as the level of the water fa ls in the inlet passageway, thus maintaining the lower end of these inlet pipes at a constant depth below the surface of the water in the inlet passagewa. This would continue until the flotation tan 's 10 rested upon the bottom of the passage way, when any further fall of the water would vary the submersion. To overcome this, just before the bottom of the flotation tanks would strike the bottom of the inlet passageway the outer end of the lev'ers- 12 are brou ht in contact with the stops 17,

causing t e frame carrying the inlet p pes to descend at a faster rate, in proportion to the leverage, thus obtaining an increased rate of submersion at the lower depth of, water in the inlet passageway. This mechanism will result in this apparatus continuing-in an operative state with a very small difference in i the level of the tide, and also provides an automatically starting, stopping, and opera- .tive device.

IIO

I said siphon.

Having fully described my invention, what lI desire to claim in Letters Patent is as folows:-.'

1 An automatic tidal air compressor, c on sistmg of passageways connecting a tidal basin with the ocean, each communicating basin withthe ocean, each communicating with, a leg of an inverted siphon, swinging 5 gates situated in suchpassageways and adapted to cause any flow of water in either direction to pass through the siphon, air inv lets situated in the inflow passageway, and an air separator situated at the lower part of 2-Q/sai d siphon.

3 An automatic tidal air compressor, consisting'of an inlet passageway at one level, connecting a tidal basin with the ocean, and

. communicating with the longer leg of an in- 5 verted, submerged siphon, and an outlet pas-' sageway at a lower level, connecting a tidal basin with the ocean, and communicating with the shorter leg of said siphon, air inlets situated in the inflow passageway and an air 3' separator situated at the lower part of said 1 siphon.

4. An automatic tidal air compressor, consisting of an'inlet passageway at one level, connecting a' tidal basin with the ocean, and communicating with the longer leg of an in verted, submerged. siphon, and an outlet passageway at a lower level, connecting a tidal basinwith the ocean, and communicating with the shorter leg of said siphon, swing- 4 ing gates situated in said passageways and adapted'to cause any flow of water in either direction to pass down the longer, and upthe shorter, legs of said siphon, air inlets situated 4 in the inflow passageway and an air separator situated at the lower part of said siphon.

' 5. An automatic tidal air compressor, consisting of an inlet passageway atone level;

u said riseand fall. 7

connecting a tidal basin with'the ocean, and communicating with the longer leg of an in- '-verted, submerged siphon, an outlet passageway .at alower level, connecting, a tidal basin .with the ocean, and communicating with the shorter leg of said siphon, an enlarged chamber located at the bottom of said inverted siphon, provided with an abutment wall,

transversely situated to the axis of the descending leg ofsaid siphon.

'6. An automatic tidal aircompressor, consisting of an inlet passageway at one level,

connecting a tidal basin with the ocean, and. communicating with the lpnger leg of an inverted, submerged siphon, an outlet assage way at alower level, connecting ati al basin with the ocean, communicating with the shorter leg of said siphon, and a floating head piece provided with air inlet pipes situated in the inlet passageway, directly over the longer leg ofsaidsiphon, adapted to automatically maintain a variable degree of submersion of said air inlet p ipes.- v

7 An automatic tidal air compressor, consisting of an inlet passageway at one level, connecting a tidal basin with the ocean, and

communicating with .the'longer leg of an inverted, submerged siphon, ,an outlet pas sageway at-a lower level, connecting a tidal basin with the ocean, and communicating with the shorterleg of said siphon, a floating head piece provided with air inlet pipes situated in the inlet passageway, directly over the longer leg of said siphon, and. adapted to automatically maintain aconstant degree of submersion/of said air inlet pipes forpart of the rise and fallof the-tide, and a variable degree of submersion for} the remainderol I In testimony whereof I have signed myname to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses; 

